


Pain of a Wounded Soul

by DayLightDove



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Battle City Arc, Caring, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-04
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 22:28:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7951606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayLightDove/pseuds/DayLightDove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(AU-ish) What if Yami had attacked before Bakura could completely shield Ryou from the god card's attack? Bakura needs Ryou alive to be able to control the body, and this means he need's Ryou's soul to heal from the attack, but can he? And what of the rest of the tournament? How will things play out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Yugioh

"I-It hurts." Ryou gasped out as he feel to his knees, head swimming in confusion as he was thrust into control. "It hurts." He didn't know where he was or what was going on and his left arm was in so much pain. He heard voices calling to him, and he blinked, trying to see past the fog that clouded his sight. He thought he saw Yugi standing across from him, something red and large behind him.

"…Y-Yugi," He called out to his friend, hoping he could help him. "Where am I? Why am I here?" The pain made itself known again and he choked back a cry of pain as looked down at the blood covering his arm. "W-Why do I have this wound?...It hurts…Yugi."

His vision continued to waver, his eyes blinking tiredly. His body was relatively numb, but the bitting of the cold air would cut through and his arm hung limply with pain flowing from it. He trembled and whimpered. He just wanted this to stop. He just wanted help.

Why wasn't anyone helping him?

* * *

Yami stared at the trembling form of the host of the Spirit of the Ring. He could hear 'Marik's' retreating form walking away after telling him that to win this game would come at the cost of hurting a friend. His body twitched, wanting to do something but being unable to do so.

 _/We're not going to attack, right Yami?/_ His partner's voice came through his mind just as another plea came from the wounded boy across from him. His fists clenched even more, almost drawing blood from the grip they had.

 _/No Aibou,/_ Yami replied, trying to ignore the shouts from the others. _/I do not want to risk Bakura's life. This is a dirty trick being used./_ He took a deep breath before continuing on. _/However, should there be a chance that Bakura's darker half show himself again, we may be able to force him out of Bakura if he is in control if we attack./_

_/Yami-/_

_/I will not harm Bakura, Aibou./_ Yami replied, his eyes watching Ryou for any sign of his other being in control. If the Spirit of the Ring was in control, then the attack would hit him, not Ryou. With hope, the attack would banish the Spirit of the Ring, at least for a little while, and they would be able to get Ryou help. But he refused to attack when a friend's life was on the line. At the moment, all he could do was stand there as his time to act slowly counted down.

Meanwhile, Bakura was watching in spirit form behind his wounded host with Marik standing beside him, also in spirit form. He watched silently as Ryou called out for help and no one moved a finger, only standing there calling out. Bakura held back a growl when he caught sight of Marik smirking beside him. While it was true this was allowing him a quick victory, he didn't like it.

He didn't like the sight of his host so vunerable to attack and, possibly, even death.

While he knew they had a connection, he didn't know if it was similar to the Pharaoh's and his host. He didn't know if, Ryou came close to death, he wouldn't die because he was still alive, and he certainly didn't want to test that. Without his host, he couldn't come back any time he was defeated, because while he came back, he didn't know if his host could.

And the worst part was, that he knew the Pharaoh would attack.

He could tell from the other's stance that one wrong twitch from Ryou would have him sending that god's attack right at him. That was something he couldn't have, he need to force his way back into control before that prideful idiot took out his host without a second thought.

"So Marik, I see you have Yugi's hand's tied." He spoke up, never taking his eyes off his host.

"As per our agreement," This made Bakura look at Marik, a scowl on his face at the words.

He scoffed, trying to keep his anger in for the moment. "I'm impressed, your dirty tricks surpass even my occult deck." The smirk that came from the other made him snap and he knew it was time to step in. "However," He slowly began to gather the energy needed to surpass the control of the Millennium Rod. "Even I have ways I like to win and ways I hate to win!"

" _Stay out of this Marik!"_ With that he reached out to seize control of the body.

And that is where it went wrong.

Across the field Yami noticed the Ring begin to glow around the other's neck and gasped. The glow was slowly growing and Yugi spoke up from their link.

_/Yami-/_

_/I know Yugi./_ He responded, voice thick as he prepared to attack. Opening his mouth, he shouted. "Osiris! Direct Attack!" With that, the large dragon behind him opened its mouth and lightning shot forth towards the figure still on the ground.

 _"NO!"_ Bakura shouted as he watched Ryou lift his head at the sudden blinding light streaking towards him. He fought even harder against the magic, and had just touched complete control of the body when the blast struck. He heard his host's cry of pain and let out a growl, fighting to get to his host's spirit before the attack destroyed him.

When he finally reached his host's spirit, gritting his teeth as he was forced to endure the attack as well now, the two both conscious in the body as neither was directly in conrtol, his breath actually caught as he looked down at his host. While the body would not have any physical marks unless it was knocked down while in battle, the soul and mind of the body was another thing.

His host was writhing on the ground in pain, mouth open in a frozen scream. It was obvious if this continued, Ryou would not live to see another day.

Bakura swiftly knelt beside the other soul and pulled him in his arms while his own soul took control and blocked him from the rest of the attack. Sadly, it seemed, that he was not able to protect his host from the majority of it as it wasn't long before after he took control that the attack ended.

He was lying on the ground, too weak to move while he tiredly looked for Ryou's consciousness within. He could feel him, his soul quite weak at the moment and he knew something terrible had happened. He gave a weak, almost inaudible growl when he could see the Pharaoh rushing toward him, knowing it was his fault.

With what remaining strength he had, Bakura used his powers to hide the Ring from the others' eyes so they wouldn't remove it from Ryou. He knew he would need to stay connect to his host if they were to recover from this. As his power was used up, his own weakened soul slipped from control and back into the now hidden ring and the body was limp.

* * *

"Bakura!" Yami cried as he rushed forward to the limp body of his friend. He didn't pay attention as the announcer declared him the winner nor that the battle ground was lowing and the others were able to join him. He dropped to his knees beside Ryou's body and began looking for any sign of consciousness.

There was none.

 _/Yami, look!/_ At his hikari's cry, he took notice in the way Ryou's chest still moved up and down, though slowly and shallowly.

"He's still alive." He told his friends as they came up worriedly before him.

"Thank goodness." Shizuka breathed out, tears in her eyes.

"Get the medical bay ready!" Mokuba ordered turning to the security members with them. They nodded and rushed off to prepare the things needed to help the dulist. Honda knelt down, offering to carry Ryou on his back and Jounouchi helped place Ryou securely on the other's back before they took off after the men.

"Do you think he'll be ok?" Anzu asked, hands clasped over her heart in worry.

Yami swallowed before nodding. "Bakura's strong, he'll make it through."

Marik wasn't listening to the rest of their talk. He stayed behind, staring at the small drops of blood on the ground where Ryou had collapsed. He wasn't expecting any of that really. He hadn't expect the Spirit to fight for control or for Yugi to actually attack just as the Spirit started to take control.

He scowled when he didn't see the Ring anywhere either. The sneaky spirit must have done something and now he didn't even have leverage over the other. With an angry huff, he stalked down to the rooms where everyone else was, knowing that, for now, he needed to keep up his appearance as Namu. Looking into Ryou's room, he saw the boy lying in his bed with a few machines hooked up to him to help keep him alive. The sight made him wonder if the boy would be ok after all of this-

Because right now it wasn't looking too good for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Bakura groaned as he woke up in darkness. His body ached and his head throbbed as he tried to gain his bearings. His senses slowly returned to his body, which did not help elevate the pains he felt but he supposed he at least could understand what was going on.

With a groan, he shifted one of his hands and felt it trail across a stone floor, quickly registering that his entire body lay face down on the hard substance. He blinked his eyes a bit and shifted his head to take a look at his surroundings. He took in stone walls that climbed high with symbols etched into them. Torches lined the walls, giving an eerie look to the room and casting long dancing shadows throughout the room. A few scattered rocks and coins littered the floor with a few pillars that stretched up into the darkness that hid the ceiling from eyes. The feeling of the room would leave many uneasy, but not him.

This was his soul room.

He groaned once more as he moved his arms to push his body up into a sitting position. He dug through his memories, trying to remember the reason he was here. He couldn't remember being forced into-

With a gasp he remembered what had happened. Cursing the Pharaoh, he took a better look at his soul room and noticed the slight cracks that had formed in the stones, as if something had tried to harm him while he was in his safe haven. His powers as a spirit though have obviously gone to work on healing his soul from the battle if the pain in his body being less and his room not as harmed as he expected was anything to go by.

But he also knew there was something else he needed to check on thanks to that ignorant Pharaoh. With a grunt, he pulled himself up and began to work his way to his soul room's door. If he was this sore still after the god card attack and he didn't even get the blunt of the attack, what condition was his host in? He shook his head at the thought. His host would be fine, he couldn't be that much of a weakling if Bakura was his Yami. At least, that's what he told himself as he moved stiffly to his door.

Once he made it to the door, made of what looked like solid wood and metal, he pulled it open and revealed the long hallway that was only discernible by the midnight colored floor while everything else was darkness. Across from him, a smooth, simple white door gave a soft glow on the darkness.

Or at least, that's what used to lay across from his door.

Upon the door were a few scorch marks, blackening the fragile door. The smooth wood looked chipped and the glow was not as bright as usual, allowing the shadows around it to both seem weaker as well as thrive in the newly grown darkness. Trembling no longer in pain but in anger, Bakura slowly approached his hikari's door, the evidence upon it clearly showing how close the attack had been to shattering his host's mind into nothingness.

Placing his hand on the soft blue doorknob, Bakura slowly pushed the door open, praying to Ra that the damage would be less on the inside as the room should have been able to protect his hikari once Bakura had taken control, or at least it hadn't gotten as many hits to it.

The sight made whatever bit of heart he had drop.

Inside there were similar scorch marks throughout, blackening the walls and floor just as it had been on the door. Pictures were shattered and the glass sat on the ground, waiting to cut those who would be so unfortunate to cross there. The table that held a Monster World set up was in pieces and the table had cuts and gashes across it. Books having fallen from a bookshelf were scattered across the floor, some even ripped and ruined. The soft glow that usually made up the room and dimmed greatly as shadows licked at the door from outside, as if trying to take away what life remained in the room.

But what made him growl lowly was the sight of his host's spirit. Ryou was crumbled on the floor, his chest rising and falling in jerky movement and his body twitched as if still feeling the aftershocks of electrocution. There were marks on his body as well, the color of blackened burns, but it seemed that his room had taken most of the damage.

Rushing forward, Bakura knelt beside his host's spirit. His body continued to tremble with anger towards those who brought this about. The Pharaoh and Marik would pay for this! Before he did anything though, he reached forward, placing a uncharacteristically cautious hand on Ryou's arm.

"Yadonushi!" He barked, trying to get his host to regain some sort of consciousness. "Yadonushi, wake the fuck up!" Despite his best efforts, if one had listened closely, there would be no doubt to the ears that beneath the anger, worry clearly rang from his voice.

There was no response aside from the barest twitches of his limp body. He growled and moved forward to pick up his host, once again uncharacteristically gentle. He grunted as his sore body held the extra weight before stumbling over to the messy bed in the corner and placing his host on it. After that, he let his spirit vanish from Ryou's soul room and into the control of the body.

Instantly he was hit with discomfort and pain. His body throbbed and he could feel something in his throat. He tried to move the body and found it was relatively impossible to do. He could hear the sounds of what seemed to be an annoying beeping machine but he pushed it out of his mind as his anger reared its head.

Damnit! It seemed the attack had left the body weak enough that even Bakura couldn't fight back the pains. He swore that the Pharaoh would get it the next time he saw him.

Much to his disdain, he let his spirit retreat back into the soul room, knowing he wouldn't be able to do much until the body had healed enough. He let the body go limp one more, leaving behind the still and noisy room for the others.

He appeared back in his soul room, but didn't wait any more seconds before he was storming across the hall and into the ruined room. It was only when he was beside the bed that held the still, twitchy spirit of his host did he allowed the tenseness to leave his body, his knees falling beneath his own exhaustion as he sat beside his host. His red colored brown eyes gazed down at his host with an unreadable expression.

For a while he just stared at the weaker spirit, a little shocked the other was still able to hold out for as long as he was. He let a hand reach out to brush hair from his host's face before he realized what he was doing and jerked back. With a growl, he leaned back against the wall that the destroyed bed was up against, once again cursing those who placed him and his host in this situation. Sadly, though, he couldn't do anything unless he and Ryou gained some amount of strength back.

Closing his eyes, he fell into a light dose so that he could rest while waiting for a sign that the other would wake up.


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi sighed as he looked down at his unconscious friend. He could feel Yami's own worry through the bond but he didn't really listen to it as he gazed down at Ryou.

Their pale friend looked so fragile in the medical bed he had been placed in. There were a few wires that were connected to his arm and a breathing tube had been given to him as well. The wound on his shoulder hand been wrapped with fresh gauze as well. Not only that, but his appearance didn't help relieve any worries. His skin was paler than usual, almost sickly, and his closed eyes had dark circles beneath them. Sometimes he would break out in a sweat, but it was thankfully very few times.

They had been so worried when alarms had gone off from his room. The doctors had said that the reason could have been that the other had woken up, but such an idea was a slim possibility. But still, it gave them hope that their friend would be getting better.

His eyes drifted down to look at the other's chest, where the Millennium Ring usually rested. Somehow, after the duel, the Ring had gone missing and they had yet to find it. Honestly, they didn't know whether to count this as a good thing or a bad thing. They wanted to find it to keep it from ending up in the wrong hands or to keep it from returning to Ryou, however it did that, but with it still gone, they didn't know what to think. Maybe, the Ring hasn't returned because its host was weak. It would be terrible if the only way to keep Ryou safe was to have him suffering.

Swallowing thickly, Yugi laced his fingers of one of his hands into one of Ryou's limp hands. "Don't worry, Bakura, we'll stop Marik and find the Ring." He squeezed his hand a bit more. "Just, get better."

 _/You know this is not your fault./_ Yami's voice came through the mind link.

Yugi sighed. "I know, but still, if we hadn't attacked-"

_/The Spirit of the Ring and Marik would have won. I don't like what happened to Bakura either and I feel guilt over his condition as well, but as least it seems to have gotten rid of the Spirit for now./_

"I suppose." Yugi sighed. He rubbed his thumb across the back of Ryou's hand before placing it back on the bed. He stood up from the chair, preparing to leave the room so he can go prepare just in case he was called for the next duel. With a final glace at his friend, he left the room, letting the door close on the room that was silent save for the sound of the machines connected to the still body in the room.

* * *

With a slight groan, Bakura opened his eyes to look around the still destroyed soul room of his host. His own body was still sore, something he opted up to the fact he had slept in Ryou's soul room and not his own to regain energy, but he still felt a little better.

He looked over to the frail body of his host's spirit, noticing the other had yet to wake, but at least had stopped twitching in pained shocks. He sighed, letting his gaze turn to the room. If he thought about it, he's never really been in here or, if he has, he's never taken the time to look around it. Pushing himself off the bed, he decided to look around the destroyed room.

His feet touched the smooth wooden floor as he moved throughout the room. He let his eyes drift over broken picture frames that held memories of important places if he had to guess. From there, he moved to look over to the corner of the room that held the destroyed Monster World set up. Looking over the layout, he could conclude the setting didn't really have a set world, most likely changing based on something to do with his host, however he couldn't figure out what especially with the state it was in.

Behind the setup he found shelves, now crooked, were what seemed to be rows of characters, only, instead of looking like Monster World characters, they were designed to look like important people in his life. Some were scattered on the floor, Bakura could clearly see the figure of the Pharaoh and his host on the ground along with a few others. He was tempted to step on the figure, which had a few marks on it, but kept himself from doing so in case it would end up harming his host any more than right now. Deciding to ignore it, he let his eyes fall on a large glass square. It had obviously been rather old, if the layer of dust that had been disturbed around it was anything. Reaching out, he picked it up and found that there were four figures within. The glass itself was rather blurry in some spots, as if showing that the faces of the characters were fading from memory but who they were would always be important.

Placing the box back down, he scanned the figurines once more out of curiosity and was surprised to find one that resembled him. At first, his eyes had skipped over it, thinking it was someone he didn't know about, but had gone back in curiosity. Reaching down, he lifted the small character into his hand, figuring that picking it up couldn't be any worse than its situation now, and began turning it over in his hands. He couldn't help but notice that, despite Ryou's limited knowledge of his appearance, the other had done a good job in remembering him.

He continued to look over his character when a very soft moan came from the other side of the room. Tensing up in shock, Bakura quickly placed the figurine on one of the shelves before rushing back over to the bedside.

"Yadonushi!" He cried, bending over his host, looking for any sign of him being awake. The other was trembling, no doubt in pain. He reached out to touch his host's shoulder, only for the other to let out another moan at the slight contact. "Yadonushi," He spoke, his voice quieter than before.

Ryou let out another weak sound, his body wracked with pain the moment he had come back to his senses. He could tell he was in his soul room, the slight stuttering waves of safety were being directed to him but it did little to combat the pain in his body. He could hear the voice of someone calling to him, but his mind was so muddled. There was a moment he felt pressure on his arm and it only seemed to make the pain worse. However, it was after this he could make out a familiar word reaching his clouded head.

"…Yadonushi…" The voice, now seemingly familiar, called out.

Ryou tried opening his mouth to reply, but only whimpers came out as he gasped out. "B…k…ra…" His sore throat couldn't get anything else out as he struggled to open his eyes.

Bakura watched his host, listening to the sad sound of what seemed to be his name. He watched as the other's eyes fluttered before opening just enough to squint up at him.

"Shut up Yadonushi." Bakura huffed with no real malice. "Use the link if you can."

There were a few moments just filled with gasping, pain filled whimpers before a weak voice suddenly flowed through the air in Bakura's mind.

 _/I-It…h-hur…ts./_ His voice choked out. Even with it being his mind, the other was still so weak. _/…I-I…can't…B-Ba…kura, why-why…does it…hurt?!/_ There were sobs mixed in with the pained words, and when Bakura looked down he saw tears running down Ryou's cheeks from his half lidded eyes.

Bakura sighed. He knew that, despite his weakness, Ryou would push to know the reasoning behind his sudden pain, as it was obvious that the other didn't remember. Then again, he couldn't really expect his host to since when he had been first awake, he was in shock from the pain in his arm and then during the duel he hadn't exactly been thrown into the most pleasant of experiences.

Then there was the situation of explaining what happened. As much as he wanted to blurt out that it had been the Pharaoh's, and no doubt his host took part in it as well, fault for hurting him, he was also smart enough to know that such a statement could hinder his chances at recovery. Healing a soul after an attack like that would be difficult. Normally he would have been fine from an attack like that, be able to bounce back despite the strain. However, his metal strength and physical strength had been too weakened so the physical blocks to a soul had been shattered easily, thus the attack could hit the soul.

So right now, Ryou needed all the strength he could get so Bakura decided against destroying his host's 'friendships' until he was healed enough to deal with the news.

"You got hit during a duel. Somehow, I lost control for a few seconds and you were thrown into the body, so you took the attack. A pretty strong one, too." It was both a mixture of the truth a lies.

Ryou gazed at him with tired, watery eyes clearly questioning the information, as he had lived with Bakura for a long time, he's known not to take everything he said for word. However, the words seemed to satisfy him after a few moments, still to weary to fully question them.

Silence hug over them for a few moments, neither knowing what to do or say. Ryou continued to tremble and whimper, half-lidded eyes attempting to focus on what was around him. Bakura watched him for a few moments before asking.

"Do you think you can move enough to help me start fixing things up in here?" He asked which got him a fearful look from Ryou.

 _/Bakura…I-I…don't…t-think I-/_ Worry and pain was obvious in his voice and Bakura sighed, crossing his arms.

"I'm not asking you to get off the bed and pick things up, idiot." He huffed. "All I'm asking is if you can sit up or focus enough to help me figure out where things go. I haven't really been in here, but I do know that I think fixing up your soul room may help in your recovery." His words are gruff but they meant well. He also believed what he said. If the soul room represented themselves, then maybe cleaning it up might be able to help with fixing his soul.

Ryou was silent, his eyes were a bit drooping and for a moment Bakura thought he would fall back to sleep. However, the dull brown eyes slid back open and a weak nod came from the other. Bakura nodded back before slipping his arms around Ryou, one behind his back and the other on his chest. Very slowly, Bakura lifted Ryou into a sitting position, however he couldn't hold back his winces whenever he heard a soft cry of pain leave the pale boys lips. When he was finally sat comfortably up, pillows from the bed making the motion easier for him, Bakura stepped back and watched his host breath heavily and shakily.

Bakura watched him for a few moments, making sure this wasn't too much for him. The burns still stood out against the pale skin of his host's skin but he didn't know when those wounds would take the time to heal.

"You sure your weak soul can handle this?" Bakura questioned, raising an eyebrow at Ryou's trembling form. Ryou took a few gasping breaths before nodding his head and opening his eyes half way, them having closed when he was focusing on his breathing.

Bakura was silent, trying to decide if he wanted to push his host to do this when he was clearly taking a lot of effort just to stay sitting up, but he also knew that it was through struggle you got things done. Seeing the fight in his host, Bakura placed his hands on his hips while he huffed out;

"We'll? Where do we start?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright, I think that's enough for now." Bakura sighed as he placed one last book within the newly repaired bookshelf.

It had been a slow process, with him having to use his newly regained strength to help Ryou not only stay away but have the energy to help the bookshelf remain as it was, seeing as it was his soul room. There were times where Ryou's eyes would drift close and Bakura was almost afaid, not that he would admit it, that the other would stay asleep. However, as he would call out to him, Ryou would force his eyes open and give a stiff, subtle nod to him.

After minutes of fixing just one part of the destroyed room and listening to the uncomfortable soft noises Ryou would occasionally make from feeling what was happening essentially to his soul, Bakura finally decided to take a break. He glanced over at the bed that his host's spirit was resting on and growled to the other when he saw him drifting off, eyes fluttering as he tried to fight off the exhaustion.

"Oi!" Bakura growled, moving over to stand over the other. "Don't fall asleep Yadonushi! Not until I say you can!"

Ryou could only lazily blink his eyes at him as his weak voice traveled across their mind link. _/I'm sorry…but I-I am still so tired./_ Those eyes brightened for a moment and they traveled across Bakura's form in front of him. _/Aren't you…tired as well? I-I though-t you…got hit…too./_

Bakura scowled. "Please, I'm fine, idiot. You were the one who got hit the most. Of course we wouldn't be in this situation if you weren't so weak." He sighed and muttered under his breath in hopes that Ryou wouldn't hear his next comment. "Of course if the Pharaoh hadn't been such an idiot this would have been avoided as well."

 _/T-The Pharaoh?/_ Ryou's week voice called out in confusion.

Bakura growled, glaring down at the other. "It's nothing that concerns you."

_/B-But...Bakura-/_

"Its nothing!" He growled, cutting the other off. He was about to continue yelling at the other when both he and Ryou froze, the latter letting out a soft distressed noise.

They could both feel it, someone probing into their shattered minds and souls. There was no telling what an outside presence forcing its way into their soul rooms could do while they were trying to heal from the original attack. The feeling of another person trying to enter their space while they were still healing so much made Ryou worried and Bakura angry, for he had a good idea for who it was. With a growl, he shot back with his own shadow magic, placing up wards to hopefully keep the other out for now.

* * *

Outside of their mind, Marik frowned as he tried to use the Rod to see if the Spirit of the Millennium Ring remained within the boy or not, seeing as he had yet to find the Ring itself. He even used Anzu to see if either Yugi or any of his companions had come across it, but they had not.

His frown deepened when he felt the walls go up around the other's mind, magic from another Millenium item trying to push him out. So the Spirit was still there. He was about to force his way through the weakened magic, something that would be easy especially with the condition of the host at the moment, but he froze.

He could use them latter and he could easily find his way into their soul rooms with the part he left, hidden might he add since he can't trust the other Spirit, inside the host. Besides, what use would they be right now when it seems not even the Spirit of the Ring could handle the body in its current condition.

Making his decision, he stopped his invasion on the other's mind. Stepping away from the bed, he gave the white-haired male one last look before going to join in watching the duel about to take place.

* * *

Bakura growled as he used what energy had left to keep the shields up. He would love to go and take the other's soul, but he wasn't up to his full power and he didn't dare do anything that foolish. With Marik trying to get in, it reminded that somewhere, the other had a piece of his soul. He'd have to remember to destroy it before the other could have a chance of getting in here.

Bakura was prepared for the other to try and force his way in, so he was shocked when he felt Marik retreat. He was frozen for a few moments before he pulled his magic back while panting for breath. He was vibrating with anger when a sudden voice spoke up.

 _/You…should get some rest./_ Bakura growled and shot his glare towards the pained hikari in the bed.

"I don't need it right now, and I will get some when I need it." Bakura snapped back but his hikari just stared back with half lidded eyes.

 _/You need…rest. And…I don't mean…a-a…short nap in here. I mean, in your own…soul room./_ Ryou responded. Despite being scared of his Yami, he was still stubborn when it came to certain things as well as too kind hearted to let someone else remain hurt.

"I'm fine!" Bakura growled, narrowing his eyes. "And I don't recall ever taking orders from you." Ryou flinched at the hard tone.

_/I-It's just…you'll get better if you…rest and-/_

"Quiet." Ryou instantly snapped his mouth shut, not having the strength anymore to argue with his Yami. He trembled from fear, exhaustion, and pain. Bakura regarded him silently for a few moments before sighing. "Just…go to sleep."

_/Wha-/_

"I said sleep." Ryou was silent, shifting ever so slightly, still gasping out soft cries of pain as he laid down into a comfortable, or as comfortable as he could be, on the bed. His eyes slipped close but Bakura didn't look away. Once the other could no longer see him, his gaze softened ever so slightly and he let out a mix between a growl and a sigh.

_/Bakura-/_

"I thought I told you to sleep!" He snapped. Ryou was silent before continuing.

 _/Will…will whoever…that was be…able to get here?/_ Ryou didn't have many memories of Battle City, but he recognized the person that was trying to get in, at least his essence. He clearly remembered it there when his pain started, but aside from that, he didn't remember much that got him into this state. The talk about Yugi's other half brought a few flashes in mind but nothing that made since.

Bakura's eye twitched at the mention of Marik, one of the idiot who caused this to happen. "No, I will not be overcome by some petty mortal." He watched as Ryou seemed to relax at the statement. He was curious as to why that would comfort his host, but didn't question it as all he wanted was some quiet now.

He watched his host drift off to sleep before sighing and glaring at the door.

"I don't know what you're planning Marik, but I want no part in it."


	5. Chapter 5

Bakura let out a tired sigh as he leaned against the dark wall outside of his soul room. He checked every place he could for the soul that Marik placed inside of his host, but he has yet to find it. He knew for a fact that it wasn’t in his soul room, he would never be foolish to allow something like that hide without his knowledge in his own soul. Outside of there, he’s checked the hallway that allowed him to be connected to his hikari, but he hasn’t been able to locate it. Of course, it could be connected through the magic of the Millennium Items and the hallway hid where it connected until Marik was actually using the soul portion but he couldn’t tell.

His eyes shifted to look at the door across from him. There was the chance of Marik hiding somewhere in there, but Bakura didn’t want to risk any more damage to the already wounded soul. Plus, with the pain and damage already inflicted, he had no doubt Marik wouldn’t be in there with how weak and destroyed it was.

With another sigh, Bakura pushed himself off the wall and started to walk towards his host’s soul room. He didn’t know how long it’s been outside of the body, but it’s been long enough for him to get a decent rest in his soul room-not because of Ryou words though-as well as start his search for the unwanted soul. He would take more time to find it, but he didn’t want to leave his host’s soul alone for too long right now, he didn’t want to risk any setbacks because of the damage.

In fact, he still didn’t really know what lasting effects this could have on his host. Sure, he’s stolen a few souls out there and even killed a few by doing so, but he didn’t know what the effects of having it nearly destroyed in a not-so-neat manner while it was still in the body. He was seriously going to kill both Marik and that idiot of a pharaoh for what they’ve done.

As he stood in front of the door, he let his hands trace over the wood, his scowl growing deeper every time it traced over a mark in the wood. He then let his hand drop to the handle and softly twisted the blemished wood that made up the knob. Opening the door and closing it behind him, he made his way over to his host’s spirit, which remained in the exact position it had been when he left for his own rest.

His gaze, just as it had before, drifted over his hikari’s body. He could still see scorch marks and ugly burns beneath ripped clothing, but he at least had stopped twitching every second. His breathing seemed a bit easier but it wasn’t great. He had no idea how long this was going to take until his host was able to move again, let alone have enough energy to leave his soul room. Bakura knew better to attempt to take over the body when it’s only been a short amount of time, even if he really wanted to so he could go hit everyone who caused this.

 _/Bakura?/_ A soft voice filled the air and he jerked his head down to see half lidded brown eyes gazing up at him. / _Is everything…ok?/_

“Yeah, don’t worry so much.” He said rolling his eyes. “Do you think you’re feeling up to a bit more remodeling? The better you get, the faster this is over.”

He was met with silence.

Quirking an eyebrow he stared down at Ryou, who had turned his gaze downward. “Yadonushi?”

More silence. This made Bakura let out a low growl and set his hardened gaze on his host, annoyed by the way he was acting when he was doing so much to help him.

“Oi! Answer me when I’m talking to you.” He snapped, making the lighter half flinch at his tone. However, the gasp of pain Ryou made at the sharp movement made a bit of guilt bubble in Bakura’s stomach, but he quickly squashed the feeling. He didn’t need to add guilt to number of weak feelings he was feeling for his wounded hikari.

 _/I-It’s just…I would have…have thought you…would be gone by now./_ Bakura raised an eyebrow at his hikari’s tone.

“What do you mean by that?” He asked, trying to control his tone so his host wouldn’t cause any unneeded pain.

 _/I mean…you can just take my-the body now. I’m not in your…your way./_ Ryou muttered through the mind link, glancing at Bakura. _/I just thought…y-you’d be off…doing stuff while I…I was here./_

Bakura scoffed. “As if you were ever in my way to begin with. Besides,” He looked away. “I’m not in control of the body because your state is so weak that I can’t control the body without feeling pain greater than normal. No doubt it’s your own weakened state that has helped put the body in such a horrible position.” Ryou returned his gaze to the floor at this.

Bakura huffed. “Come on, let’s see what we can do right now.” He helped his host sit up once more before turning to the room. He gazed at the destruction before looking at his host. “So, what do you want to fix now.”

Ryou let his gaze drift around the room, feeling a little sad as he looked at all the destroyed parts of it. He really didn’t know why his yami was helping as much as he was. Even if his injuries had caused problems for his body, he was shocked the other was trying to help him as much as he was. Unless, of course, the more he healed the better the body got, which would help Bakura in the end. Yes, that was most likely the reason.

Feeling the other’s gaze on him, he shook himself from his thoughts and once again looked around the room. His eyes went to the shelves on the wall across from him that hung over the broken table that held a diorama similar to those of his Monster World ones. As much as he wanted to fix the table, he knew that would be too large for now.

 _/The…the shelves for…the figur…ines./_ Ryou stated, wishing he could speak so he didn’t have to waist his energy focusing through the link. But his throat was still too sore and the link at least didn’t take too much energy to work.

Bakura looked over to the broken and crooked shelves that sat above the ruined table and the scattered figurines on the ground beneath it. He gave a sharp nod before going over to it. He shifted a bit of the broken table around so he could reach the shelves, thankful that doing so didn’t seem to have much of an effect on the boy.

He looked at the shelves, taking in how they had been ripped from the wall before reaching forward to grip the lowest shelf. Grasping the wood in his hands, he turned it, not wanting to rip the good side out of the wall. He heard Ryou gasp as he did so, but continued pushing so that this would be finished soon. Once he had the shelf straight, he held it there for a few moments, waiting for the soul room to gather that the wood needed to stay there.

He watched as a nail suddenly formed quietly within the wood, holding it to the wall. Since the soul room was made without any actually nails or actual tangible supplies, he didn’t need any to rebuild it. He just needed to be there to help Ryou be able to have the strength to fix it when it was in place. It was one of the reasons they could only do so much while fixing up the room. It’s true that it seemed to be helping him, but it also took a toll on him.

After he was sure the shelf would stay in place, he moved onto the next one, fixing all the shelves as he moved up and along the wall. When he was done, he glanced back at Ryou who was panting softly with his fingers clenching the bed.

“Let’s stop for now.” Bakura said, moving over to his side.

 _/Can you…at least…put the characters…o-on them?/_ Ryou asked, his tired eyes glancing up at him.

Bakura frowned, looking over at the figures of the people Ryou knew over the floor. He could see all the people that he himself could recognize to an extent before his eyes fell on the figures of the Pharaoh and his host. A scowl formed on his face and he instantly decided what he would be doing.

“No,” He stated continuing his path towards Ryou, who frowned at him. “When I say you’re done for the time being, you’re done.” He glared at Ryou to get his point across and the boy frowned but relented, knowing better then to fight against his yami.

Ryou rested his head back against the pillows, taking in deep shuttering breaths as he relaxed for the time being. Bakura gazed at him before directing his eyes to his wounds. The burns didn’t seem to be getting any worse, but they also weren’t getting better. He knew he could do nothing about the wound in his upper arm, but he wondered if there was a way to clean his host up any more and if it would make a difference.

“Oi, Yadonushi,” Said boy opened his eyes a bit to look at the spirit. “Let’s see if we can clean you up a bit.”

Ryou frowned. _/How?/_

“This is your soul room, make something appear. If not, I’ll drag you into mine to try and clean you myself.” Bakura answered.

Ryou flushed a bit at his words. _/D-Does it matter? Won’t the…the burns…go away?/_

“They might but I want to see if we can do anything. Well?” He raised an eyebrow while motioning to Ryou. He swallowed before trying to see if he had the strength to let his soul room help him. It’s true that your soul room represents yourself and what you know and have been through, but it can also be a sanctuary for you, a place that helps you.

A hum from Bakura made him open his eyes, not remembering when he closed them in the first place. He weakly turned his head to see Bakura standing there with a cloth and a bowl of water.

“I had hoped for a pool or something but it seems you’re too weak to do even that.” He scoffed, moving forward to kneel beside Ryou in the bed. Ryou looked down at his statement, stiffing slightly when he felt the other kneel beside him.

Bakura took the cloth and dipped it into the water before taking it out. He whipped along Ryou’s arms at first, hesitating only slightly when Ryou would gasp and flinch away. He watched as crusted blood was washed away from pale skin, but it didn’t really comfort him when the wounds remained bright on his skin. Eventually he got to his hair and face, relaxing a bit when the white of each was shown again.

When he finished, ignoring the awkwardness of it all, he looked over his host. The teen looked slightly better now, but he was still covered in wounds. He was shivering a bit from the pain he just went through but Bakura hoped that this would help the wounds heal.

“There, hopefully this helps the burns go away faster.” Bakura said with a sigh, placing the now bloodied bucket and cloth to the side. “Now, I need to go do something, so you get more rest.”

Ryou just looked at him for a few moments before nodding his head. He once again was brought down into a lying position, flinching as his raw wounds were rubbed on. With one last look at his darker half, Ryou drifted off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Ryou let out a soft sound as he awoke to the familiar room of his soul room. With tired eyes, he let his gaze shift around the room without moving his head much, noting as a fact that for the one time he woke up after his sudden injury, Bakura was not by his side. Furrowing his eyes in confusion, Ryou gathered what little strength he had in his limbs and pushed himself into a sitting position on the bed, arms trembling with the effort to keep himself moving. 

His arms gave out as his back finally fell against the pillows set up to help him sit up, and he let his eyes wander the room once again, once again noting Bakura wasn’t there. In fact, his yami wasn’t in the room at all. Figuring his yami was doing something else then caring for him, Ryou decided not to worry about it.

The thought that Bakura was acting so kind to him was still off putting no matter how many times he thinks about it. Surely Bakura was only caring for him because of the body, because Ryou knows Bakura never really cared about how he was in the past. He let his arm slowly drift up to his wounded arm, feeling the bandages there that reflected those that he could only assume were on his body. This was proof Bakura didn’t care. Actually, it proved he just needed his body in working condition; meaning as long as he could move and benefit the spirit everything was fine in his book.

Honestly the sudden caring from the spirit really confused him.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he let his gaze drift to his room, wincing slightly at its state. He had glanced at it before, but it still hurt to look at. To think there was a duel so bad and with an opponent so strong that not only had Bakura lost control of the body, but whatever attack he had been hit with was strong enough to strike his soul to do damage. Ryou tried to remember anything about that time he was apparently conscious in his body during a duel, but he could only get small, unhelpful flashes that was accompanied with the pain of a headache.

His eyes fell over to the shelf Bakura put up the last time he was awake, as he is unaware of how long he had been here and when he last woke up. He looked at the figurines scattered on the ground, taking in the sight of all of those he knew and remembered. Bakura hadn’t wanted to put them back into place, despite how small they were and the little impact they most likely would have made on his recovery. 

Perhaps Bakura was getting tired of helping him. Maybe he just wanted Ryou to heal already so he could retake control of the body with it in working condition. If Bakura really was getting tired of helping him, Ryou was a little scared over the thought of when Bakura finally decided he had healed enough. Maybe there would be too much strain on him if Bakura retook control when his soul was still healing, but he didn’t expect his yami to care when that happened.

That thought prompted Ryou to attempt to get out of the bed and start fixing the room without Bakura. He hopes that Bakura will not get angry if he started fixing his soul room without help, maybe Bakura wouldn’t call him useless and get angry at him. He knew the others would probably appreciate it if he didn’t help the spirit, but he also didn’t want to risk Bakura getting angry. He also wants to get healed quickly as well, especially if he risked Bakura moving before he was ready.

Ryou pushed himself up into a sitting position with trembling arms once again. He was panting from the pain it was causing to shoot up his limbs and the tiredness that joined it. Gritting his teeth against it, he pushed himself up, only for his legs to give out from under him. Ryou braced himself to hit the ground of his soul room when he felt arms catching his own, keeping him from hitting the unforgiving floor. A low growl met his ears as well.

“What the hell do you think you are doing!?” Bakura hissed as he helped a panting and trembling Ryou back on the bed. “You’re supposed to be resting?!”

_ /Ba-Bakura...I...I wanted to try…and help-/  _ Ryou tried to reply only for Bakura to snap at him again.

“No! You are to sit in bed and not cause problems! Do I have to chain you to this bed or, if that won’t work, chain you to my own bed in my room?!” Bakura exclaimed, but he wouldn’t really do the second option. After having time to think, he realized he didn’t know what would happen to his host if he were to leave his soul room as he was, so he wouldn’t risk going through with any threats that dragged Ryou from the safety of his own soul room.

Honestly though could his host be so stupid!? He was supposed to be resting, not getting out of bed! He was only gone for a little bit, checking his own room for any possible damages or hiding spots that Marik could have used while regaining his own energy. He would need all the power he had from the Ring to keep Marik away, but he needed the energy as well. In that time he was gone and decided to check up on his host, he comes back in to find him pushing himself out of the bed and falling to the floor.

“You’re an idiot, Yadonushi.” Bakura sighed.

Ryou frowned and looked away from him.  _ /I...I just want to be...ab-le t-to help./ _

“You can do that when you’re better.”

_ /But...I want to...help now./ _

“No, I don’t want your stupid decisions destroying any chances of getting better.”

_ /But what if I don’t...do much? W-What if I...just put the figu-rines up on the...the shelves?/ _ Bakura glared in response to that suggestion. He honestly didn’t want Ryou to even touch any of the figures on the ground purely because he still wanted to send the Pharaoh and his host to the Shadow Realm for putting them in this situation in the first place. Putting the memory of them back on the shelf meant encouraging Ryou to remember them, and Bakura certainly didn’t want that.

He scoffed. “Please, you can’t even speak yet, let alone try to move out of the bed.”

Ryou pouted before opening his mouth, getting a look from Bakura as he did so. “...I-I...ca-an tal-k.” His voice came out rough and scratchy from having been silent after so much screaming he had done, and Ryou winced at the sound and feel of it. Unconsciously, Ryou wished to have a glass of water to sooth his throat with and he watched as his soul room allowed one to appear beside him. His eyes softened at the sight and he picked it up before taking slow sips from it. Even if his soul wasn’t technically real, he could still feel the pain of the wounds.

Bakura observed Ryou carefully before coming to a decision. “Alright, I’ll let you help more than just telling me where things go, b-”

“R-Really!” Ryou squeaked before breaking off into a coughing fit that shook his still sore body. Bakura glared at the other.

“Stupid Yadonushi,” He huffed out, waiting for the coughing to end. When it did, he continued. “You didn’t let me finish.”

Ryou winced before giving a sheepish smile. “...S-orr-y”

Bakura rolled his eyes before continuing. “If you had let me finished, I would have told you that you could only do so if you can make it halfway across the room without collapsing.” He smirked a little at the sudden downcast look on Ryou. Hopefully his host would be smart and not do anything that would cause him problems, however he should have remembered how stubborn his host was.

Ryou placed the now empty cup on the ground and pushed himself once again up into a sitting position with trembling arms, his hands gripping the sheets tightly.

“Yadonushi-” Bakura tried to protest only he was cut off by Ryou pushing himself off of the bed and wobbling as he stood, breathing heavily with his body swaying.

Ryou gritted his teeth against the pain of his burns and the soreness and weakness of his limbs. His eyes were clenched shut in an attempt to gain control of his trembling before he decided to lift up a foot very slowly and not very far away from the floor. He took a shaky step forward but the moment he did, he collapsed to the floor.

Bakura sighed before moving over to his host and kneeling down to help him up. He wrapped his arms beneath Ryou’s before hauling him up easily since his host never weighed that much. He placed Ryou on the bed and watched as he sunk down tiredly in it with a soft moan.

_ /T-That...wasn’t fair./ _ Ryou spoke up through the link, too tired to try and speak from his own mouth.

Bakura smirked. “Perhaps to you, but it proved my point.”

_ /Can’t you...at least p-put one...or two of my...figurines up?/ _ Ryou asked, looking up at Bakura with drooping eyes.

Bakura’s smirk changed to a scowl.

“P-Please?” Ryou croaked out.

Bakura continued to scowl but he huffed. “Alright, I’ll put two up on the shelf, but they will be of my choosing.”

Ryou gave a nod of agreement, a small smile on his face before settling back with a sigh.

Bakura walked over to the shelves that he had put up last time, and looked down at the scattered figurines on the ground. He scowled at the sight of the ones that were first seen, the ones that represented Ryou’s “friends”. He continued to look before he came across the one of himself and picked it up. After looking over it for a few seconds, he placed it on one of the shelves before scanning the ground for anyone else’s memory he felt being kind to. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the foggy, glass cube with the four character’s inside. While he didn’t particularly care for Ryou’s father, he, while he didn’t know why, could somewhat understand his host’s feelings over his deceased mother and sister. With a scoff, he pushed away those feelings away and simply placed the cube up on the shelf.

“There, that’s two.” Bakura huffed as he moved over to stand beside Ryou once again. Looking down, it seemed that Ryou was asleep but Bakura knew better.

_ /Thanks/  _ Ryou’s voice came.

“Please, I just did it so you would finally just stay in bed. You won’t help if you don’t heal first.” Bakura scoffed. “Now shut up and go to sleep. The next time you attempt anything like this will be under my orders, understand.”

No response.

Bakura sighed, looking down at his host who was now sleeping soundly. Honestly his host had no self-preservation at times. His eyes trailed along the red marks of the burns and was satisfied to see that some were smaller than before. Hopefully nothing would interrupt their progress they were making. He didn’t know what was going on the outside at the moment or how much time had passed, but hopefully it wasn’t too long.

Bakura looked back at the room before looking at his host. Well, if his host was going to be stubborn, he might as well try to keep him from passing out every time. With that he turned his attention to the room which still needed renovation.


	7. Chapter 7

When Ryou opened his eyes again, he couldn't help but feel even better than he had the last time he had been awake. Of course, he wasn't a hundred percent, still far from it, but he did have more strength than before.

Looking around his soul room, he quickly found the reasoning for the feeling. A few more figurines were placed on the shelves, however he did note which few were left on the ground. Turning away from the figurines, he noticed the Monster World set that had been destroyed along with the table it had been on had been cleaned up and set back up. Any books that hadn't been placed in the bookshelf when it had been fixed were now neatly placed inside it.

Ryou couldn't help but gape at the changes. Sure, some things still had holes and scratches in them. The walls still had a few scorch marks as well, but overall there had been some changes while he was gone.

Looking down at himself, Ryou noticed that some of his burns weren't as bright as before, and he smiled wider at the sight. He then turned his gaze back upwards and noticed that Bakura wasn't in the room. He figured the other was most likely off in his own soul room. If not there, Ryou supposed he was in control of the body, but from what he understood, even Bakura couldn't do that yet.

Well, no matter. He could help out in his own soul room without Bakura watching over him. Staring down at a scorch mark in the floor, Ryou focused on healing that spot. He tensed his body and clenched his eyes closed as he focused on the thought of the room starting to heal. He let out a soft gasp when he felt the change, but when he opened his eyes, he didn't care about the slight tired feeling he had.

The mark was gone.

 _'See! I don't need Bakura!'_ He thought excitedly. Determination coursing through his blood, Ryou shifted so his legs hung off the side of the bed and was about to push himself off of it when…

"What do you think you're doing?" The spirit's voice came and Ryou let out a yelp of surprise. Turning he found the spirit standing next to him, arms crossed and a frown on his face.

Swallowing, Ryou opened his mouth to reply, which in itself got a raised eyebrow from Bakura. "I...I wanted t-to….to help….an-d I-I...did." He croaked out. "I...I thou-ght I c-could...try to...do things….out of the...bed." His voice got a little stronger from using it more, but Ryou still winced from the soreness of it.

"I believe I told you that you weren't allowed to do anything without my say, Yadonushi. So what the hell do you think you're doing?" Bakura spoke, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Ryou.

"I...I just want to help."

"Yes, and when you pass out because you did too much too quickly, I'll just leave you on the floor this time." Ryou winced at his tone but didn't lie back down.

"B-But-"

"What?" Bakura snapped, seeing the other wasn't backing down. His host could be so stubborn sometimes.

Ryou flinched but spoke. "But...I'm getting better. Wouldn't it be good if I could do things without getting tired to quickly?"

Bakura scoffed. "Please, you're already tired from just healing a portion of your soul. Why should I allow you to walk around and do things?"

"But I won't force another healing again! I'll just do small things like, putting up the rest of my figurines or placing a few pictures back on the wall. N-Nothing big!" He let out a cough at the end of his speech all while Bakura frowned.

He honestly didn't want his host to give any sort of love to the figurines on the floor still, but he also knew that if Ryou was able to walk around for a while to start to fix the room up without help than he would be getting better. Perhaps, even well enough for Bakura to use the body properly. He could even maybe take the chance to get Ryou to give up on his friends by telling him what really happened for him to be so injured. Of course, he wouldn't do it so soon, not when Ryou was pushing himself to heal. If he wanted to lock himself away after he was healed or mostly healed, that was fine with Bakura, but for now he couldn't have that.

So, looking over his host who had gotten over the coughing fit, Bakura decided that he might as well see how much longer they might be stuck here. He tried to go out into the body and figure out how much time had passed but again it was too painful to do so. Unable to figure out anything there, he might as well see how much closer he will be stuck in the dark with his host.

"Alright, fine, you can leave the bed. However, you will not attempt to leave the room, understand Yadonushi?" Bakura explained, giving his host a hard stare. "And you will return to the bed as soon as you feel tired."

"O-Of course!" Ryou squeaked, his emotions conflicting with each other. While he was overjoyed he would finally be able to walk around without being yelled at, he was also still fearful of the other's tone. Deciding to focus more on the positive than the negative, Ryou let his joy wash out the fear of the other.

Ryou was about to push himself up once again only to, once again, get yelled at by the Spirit of the Millennium Ring.

"Oi! Don't move too fast! You will listen to me as you stand up or you won't move at all, understand Yadonushi?" Bakura glared down at the hikari.

Swallowing thickly, Ryou nodded his head, pushing down his excitement for the moment.

Bakura nodded his head in reply before moving forward and placed his hands on Ryou's upper arms. He slowly began to pull the other soul up and Ryou winced every so often. Bakura just huffed at him and continued to pull him up until he was standing on his own two feet.

"Alright, when I let go, you can take slow steps away from the bed. If you feel like you're going to fall, you will go right back to the bed." With that, Bakura moved away from Ryou, who wobbled for a moment as he stood there.

Ryou took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he focused on moving his legs without his body giving out on him. Lifting up one leg, he shakily moved it forward until it landed softly in front of him. His body shook for a moment, and Ryou was afraid he would fall and be forced back into the bed. However, when he regained his stability, his eyes shined with success.

Bakura watched his hikari take slow steps away from the bed. Even though he swayed and trembled, it seemed that he had enough strength to walk around his soul room. This was good, since this meant that his host really was healing and that it shouldn't be long before he can risk taking control of the body all while blocking out the pain from himself. Ryou would still feel it, but he wouldn't, just like usual.

He watched Ryou start to slowly make his way over to the figurines, no doubt aiming to put the one's he left on the floor on the shelves. Of course he couldn't allow this, not when he also knew putting them up would be for nothing when he finally told Ryou what really happened. His host may not believe at first, but he would in time and he would realize why he should just give up on those "friends" of his. Of course, there was a part of him that would love to see Ryou put his friends up and then knock them all down when he realizes the truth.

"Stop." Bakura snapped, making Ryou freeze in his tracks on his way to the figurines. Turning his head, Ryou looked at the spirit with a curious gaze.

"Why? I wa-"

"Don't question me, Yadonushi." Bakura glared at him, cutting off whatever he was going to say. "Put the pictures back on your wall first."

"But, wouldn't these be easier?" Ryou asked, still confused. He knew the other didn't like his friends or the spirit within Yugi, but he didn't understand why he would want him to do something harder than what he could. Then again, this was the spirit and Ryou knew he wasn't the kindest, so he shouldn't be surprised.

"Again, do not question me, or I will have you put back in the bed." Bakura growled. "Ignore the figurines, and put up the pictures. Didn't you say you wanted to help?"

Biting back a sigh, Ryou pivoted on his foot and began to move towards the wall that had fallen pictures on the floor. He slowly allowed his sore body to kneel down and pick up one of the frames and watched as the glass around the broken frame vanished and reappeared, fixed, in the frame. Ryou trembled at the feeling of it being fixed, both weakened and strengthened by the fix.

Let out a quiet groan, he stood back up, swaying slightly, before reaching up shaking arms to hang the picture back on the wall. The picture held a beautiful landscape, each one did in fact, depicting places and locations Ryou held close to his heart. Each picture looked as though it had been painted by hand, yet was a realistic photo image, so deep with so many feelings in them.

Once the first one was up, Ryou began to move onto the next one, each picture straining his soul as it continued to heal itself.

The time continued on like this, and Bakura could see the hikari was beginning to tire by the time he reached the last to pictures. He was about to tell his host to go back to the bed to rest when they both froze, eyes going wide at the sudden feeling they felt.

Once again it felt like there was a disturbance in their soul and they both felt it. Of course this time it was different. Last time the disturbance was trying to get into their soul, however this time it was already here.

Bakura let out a growl while Ryou let out a whimper and fell to the ground. The shock that was sent through his system and the weakness he already had taking a toll on him.

"B-Bakura? What is that?!" He asked, trembling on the ground. He didn't like this. Not only did he have one soul connected to him, but now it felt as though there was another. The feeling felt familiar but he couldn't say for sure, especially with his mind preoccupied with the idea there was another soul here.

Growling under his breath, Bakura turned and shouted at Ryou. "Stay here, do you understand? Do NOT follow me and just wait in here. If you can, get back to the bed."

He didn't wait for him to reply, didn't look back to see if his host had gotten his message. He was only focused on the fact there was an unwanted presence here and he would take care of it now.

Throwing open his host's door, he stepped out into the hallway and glared at the soul that materialized in his sight. Growling, he spat the name of the soul.

"Marik."


End file.
